U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-1st, has voted against H.R. 1120, what his
office describes as “a legislative attempt to strip the National Labor
Relations Board (NLRB) of its ability to resolve differences between
American business and labor.”

According to a statement released by Visclosky’s office on Friday, the bill
narrowly passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 219-209.

“The National Labor Relations Board plays a vital role by ensuring financial
security and economic opportunity for America’s workers and businesses,”
Visclosky said. “We must allow it to perform its function in order to create
an open, fair, and prosperous economy built on better wages and working
conditions for each and every American.”

“H.R. 1120 would prevent the NLRB from issuing any new decisions, enforcing
existing decisions, or advance any rulemaking in preventing and remedying
unfair labor practices or defending the right of employees to join a union
and bargain collectively with their employers,” the statement said.

“It would accomplish this aim by denying President Obama’s duly-appointed
nominees to the NLRB from taking any action.”

Visclosky noted that a judicial case regarding the constitutionality of the
appointments to the NLRB is already being appealed to the Supreme Court.
Passing legislation to deny the NLRB its authority, he argued, is both wrong
and unnecessary with judicial action pending. “We should allow the judicial
process to proceed before approving legislation that would affect this
issue,” Visclosky said.

“President Obama’s recess appointments to the NLRB are consistent with the
more than 300 recess appointments made dating back to the Reagan
presidency,” the statement said.

Visclosky added that “workers and businesses alike rely on the NLRB for the
fair enforcement of labor laws, and denying NLRB officials their authority
mandated by federal law would needlessly place American workers at risk.”